Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Hi friends. My name is Edwin Mutemi wa Kiama, also known as
"WanjikuRevolution Kenya" on Facebook or @WanjikuRevolt on twitter...
Am a social justice activist opposed to all manner of uthamaki (tribal kingdoms), whether in
Central Kenya, Rift Valley, Nyanza, Ukambani or wherever in Kenya...Am one those guys the Deputy President describes
as non-hard-working Kenyan activists who drink till 11pm and wake up at
11am... No I don't. Seriously, am a typical Kenyan hustler who asks questions on why
things are not the way they should be and speaks truth to power with love. Like, where are the 5 world class stadiums promised
to us in 2013 campaigns?!

State of public healthcare in Kenya

Whenever am questioned on my activism, I simplify it thus:
“I would like my mum who’s retired to have a competently staffed and equipped
government run health center within a 5 Km radius of her location anywhere in
Kirinyaga that can attend to minor ailments, diagnose and refer more serious
cases to a well-equipped, well-staffed government run level 4 or 5 hospital
within the county. There should be no need to ferry my sick mum to Nairobi
unless absolutely critical.” Little did I know I would experience the sorry
state of our public healthcare system first hand, and that our mum would die in
the process!

Here are a few points...

1) Mum went to have an abdominal operation to correct a
hernia Kerugoya Medical Center, a private hospital. These are usually routine
but she was hypertensive. She went into cardiac arrest and had to be
transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) ICU via ambulance without
operating. Reason, no ICU in Kirinyaga or the environs, not even private
hospitals. Options were KNH or Mathari in Nyeri. How is this possible 54 years
after independence?

2. Surgery was done at KNH, but turned septic. She was at
KNH ICU for 23 days, had several cardiac arrests, did not survive the last one
and passed on.

By then she had incurred a bill of around 1.6 million
shillings after 23 days in a public hospital. Is that right?

3. Mum had been a teacher for 32 years, paid her taxes and
other statutory deductions at source dutifully (well, one has no choice). She
was a pensioner. When she started getting sickly 4 months ago, we discovered
she didn't have NHIF cover. We reactivated it. She died a day after it became
active on 3rd October 2016!

Questions on Kenyan
Healthcare System:

Why aren't pensioners covered automatically and deducted
from pension just as it was when they were employed, especially former
government GoK employees?

Please urge everyone to get NHIF cover as it would have taken
care of this bill, and enrol your relatives, especially the retired and the
elderly parents. Have your retiree family and friends check the NHIF status.

Why would someone who has served Kenya as a teacher for
32 years have to sell off hard earned land or other property because of illness
or death to pay off a hospital bill in a government hospital? Does that make
any sense? Isn't the state meant to take care of its people?

Other notes...

KNH Casualty section is understaffed. Relatives
and friends have to find beds for themselves. Many patients die there waiting
to be attended.

County hospitals are referring cases they can
easily attend to to KNH causing an administrative log jam.

KNH only has 20 ICU beds in the main ICU plus a
few others scattered in different sections. This is a disaster. There is need
for the government to address this.

As a family are humbly appealing to Kenyans to support us
offset the bill through Paybill number or Equity Bank account below: